The Great Investment

by Getrude Mashano

I do not keep track of my age by my birthday anymore but by the landmarks I conquer in my studies. Gone are the days I worried of getting advanced in age, the satirical biological clock ticking by the candles on my cake and all that. Now I know that am older because I have been at Northrise for years, done 3 seminars already, passed, failed, redone a few courses and still have a long way to go. I recognize what I have achieved while here yet there is still more to be done for me to look proudly at my Lord on judgment day and say…“Yes Lord, you gave me X number of years and I lived them to the fullest“, a great investment is ahead of me, right?

listening attentively

The seminar I attended at the beginning of this semester was good – Community Development with Dr. Blair. It was wonderful how she patiently taught us, in not so many words; wake up children, helping others to better themselves is part of your culture, Ubuntu (spirit of kinship) is your personal inherited ethos, and all you have to do is embrace it. I hope we all heard her. Ending a great week of seminars for NU students was the triumph of our Zambian Chipolopolo boys as we beat the star studded Ivory Coast ensemble. I had no doubt in my mind the boys would do us proud… and make us proud they did.

Pondering on what we learnt, I realized we have the ability to do great things. Look at our team, and the fact that against all odds, we are now Africa’s number one. I discover more and more each day that Dr. Blair had a point; there is more you can do in numbers if you work together than you can accomplish on your own… So value your time, value your peers to work as a team and accomplish greatness.  So that at the end of it all,  the Lord can applaud you saying , “great investment child!”.